Comparison

Ocean Watch vs NOAA Tides

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ocean Watch

Access tide predictions for over 3,300 stations across the US and Caribbean. Visualize tide data with stunning graphics and an interactive almanac. Plan your activities with offline access to predictions and custom notes.

Highlights
  • 3,300+ tide stations
  • Stunning graphics and visualizations
  • Offline tide predictions
  • Interactive almanac
  • Integrated station map
  • Custom notes and images
Features
Read full description

Find your tide. Ocean Watch tracks tides at 3,300+ stations on every US coast, on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. It works offline. • Offline forecasts. Decades of data and the prediction engine are built in, so the tide is there when the signal isn't. • Tidemarks. Set a height so you know when the water will float your dock or expose your beach. • Beauty with insight. Interactive graphs and visualizations that let you feel the flow over time. • Plan ahead. The Almanac lets you travel into the future and pick your window for fishing, sailing, surfing or paddling. • The big picture. The Weeks at a Glance view lets you see the monthly trends as the moon waxes and wanes. • The little picture. Apple Watch, no iPhone needed. Every station on your wrist, with always-on complications. • Widgets. The tide on your Home Screen and everywhere else. • Area Map. See what's here and where you're going. • Share and export. Send the current tide as a picture, or export a week as CSV or PDF. • Your place is special. We've supplied gorgeous local photographs for many areas, and you can add your own. Stations outside the US and Caribbean have limited support.

About

NOAA Tides

Get accurate tide predictions and real-time marine conditions for the US coast. This app provides beautiful charts, live weather, and wave data to help you plan your time on the water.

Highlights
  • Precise NOAA tide predictions
  • Live marine conditions
  • Tide times for US coast
  • Beautiful charts
  • Live weather data
  • Wave data
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Plan your perfect day on the water with precise NOAA tide predictions and live marine conditions. Check tide times anywhere on the US coast. Beautiful charts, live weather, and wave data - all in one app.

Screenshots

Ocean Watch4 screens
NOAA Tides4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: NOAA Tides at free against Ocean Watch's paid. NOAA Tides also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 9 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Ocean Watch's advantage is ratings volume (2.7K vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NOAA Tides holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ocean Watch has 2.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ocean Watch ships an update every 9 months, NOAA Tides daily. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Ocean Watch versus NOAA Tides: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOcean WatchNOAA Tides
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.7K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.7K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank—#203 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size137 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlue Bright Labs LLCVince Becquiot

Customer experience

Ocean Watch

All ratings2,733 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive73.6%
Neutral12.3%
Negative14.2%

NOAA Tides

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ocean Watch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when trying to open tide station details
  • Tide data sometimes stuck on wrong location
  • Apple Watch app not syncing or updating correctly
  • Issues with the app's widget not displaying accurate information

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add water temperature and wind speed data
  • Improve Apple Watch complication to show more detailed tide information
  • Expand coverage to more locations, especially in Canada and other countries
  • Add ability to set tide alerts or notifications
  • Improve stability and reliability to reduce crashes

NOAA Tides

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ocean Watch

No in-app purchases

None

NOAA Tides

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ocean Watch free?
Ocean Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NOAA Tides free?
NOAA Tides is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ocean Watch or NOAA Tides?
NOAA Tides is rated higher. Ocean Watch averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while NOAA Tides averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ocean Watch or NOAA Tides have ads?
Neither Ocean Watch nor NOAA Tides shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ocean Watch or NOAA Tides?
Ocean Watch ships an update every 9 months, and NOAA Tides daily. Most recently, Ocean Watch was updated on November 1, 2026 and NOAA Tides on October 30, 2026.

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